Posted by admin in Destination Tips
on Aug 13th, 2017 | Comments Off on Benin City, Nigeria – Places to See and Visit

Benin is the capital of Edo state which is situated in Southern part of Nigeria. This city is known for its rich cultural heritage, great rulers, and political significance. It is one of the best places to visit in Nigeria and that’s why it is also one of the most visited places here. If you are thinking or planning to visit the Benin City, Nigeria can be many and you may get short of time. You must plan your trip accordingly so that you can visit as many places as possible.

Royal Palace of the Oba

This is one royal house in Africa which has a very long history. Built almost 8 centuries ago the Royal Palace of Oba has been a sacred place for the Benin people. It has been declared as a UNESCO heritage site and stands as an architectural marvel which keeps the visitors awestruck. One of the most significant things about the Royal Palace of Oba are the rules of the palace which are to be followed by anyone coming here without exception. It is so clean inside, not any cockroaches in sight.This has kept the tradition and value of this place intact. If you are thinking of visiting Benin then this palace should be at the top of your list.

Benin National Museum

Benin National Museum is a place which houses many treasures from the history of the old Benin Kingdom. This national museum not only has cultural significance but it also very important if you are trying to understand the development, life, and traditions of the old Benin Kingdom.

In many cases when you are growing up and learning your cities and states the first couple things you learn, the capital of the each state. Never has anyone known of a place where there has been a debate as to where the capital of a specific state or country is. For the past few hundred years, Turkey has been through great debates as to where their capital city is. Is it Ankara or Istanbul?

Why the debate?

So, how did all this transpire, for us to understand how or even why for that matter, we have to take a small history lesson. Are you ready? Here we go. Now, Istanbul was at a time the capital of Turkey. But, that was only until Ankara, establish the Republic of Turkey and that did not happen until 1923 along with the fall of Constantinople and the Ottoman Empire. Are you still with me? Great! This debate has a little bit more depth and that comes with a name you may or may not have heard, Kemal.

If I asked you where the Garden of Babylon was, could you tell me, or even give me a vague idea? If I asked you what they looked like, I bet what you could describe were images from old humanities books from high school and college. This was an engineering marvel, one of the original Seven Wonders of The World.

How did they do it?

Just the sheer thought of how this was constructed is the most amazing feat that any of can imagine. Think of your own home garden, where you grow vegetables and sorts of flowers and so forth. Now take all of those times, but then in the humid and hot air of the desert. How in the world, do you keep a Garden of such grandeur hydrated? From ancient writings, the gardens stood 70 or more feet high, built for the wife of King Nebuchadnezzar, Media. How to keep something of the magnitude alive? They had to pump water, build wells and make casters, to carry water all the way from the Euphrates, and with that not being the most amazing feet. They then had to make a way for the water to go up the 75ft high garden. They also kept cats all around for rodent control to eat the rats, mice, and other rodents around the garden. If this does not boggle the mind then maybe this will. Seeing as this was in the desert, could it all have been just, a Mirage? Remember now, all the stories and tales, are from a second person’s point of view hundreds of years well after the gardens were gone. There are no first person accounts of the garden, even more mysteriously, No Artifacts or Signs it even existed.

If you are in love with the sea, sand, and greenery then Jamaica’s Negril Beach is an ideal location for you. The country most famous for its sprinters and marathon runners offer a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city life. The calm beaches give you the time to contemplate and the attractions of sea adventures make people flock to this Caribbean island. These are some of the reasons Negril Jamaica, fantastic tourists attraction beach has been so favorite the sea lovers around the globe.

Negril has miles of clean sand beaches which can make you fall in love with them every single time you step foot on them. The best and cheapest time to visit Negril is between November and mid-December as the rates are quite low and the weather is also very pleasant. However, Negril is famous for its great weather all year round and the time between January and March is the peak season for tourists. This place is famous for its calm waters and the 5-mile long beach but these are not the only attractions here. Some of the other things that this place has to offer are:

Deep Sea Fishing

If you are fond of deep sea fishing then the Negril beach is the place for you. The diverse ecosystem of this place offers great treasures for you when it comes to deep sea fishing. The local charters offer great service and you can enjoy your day finding the most exotic sea fishes at the other end of your fishing rod.

Florence, Italy is a small yet beautiful city. You will barely need to take any transportation to move around the city. Most tourist attractions are within walking distance and you can visit them all in less than a day. I don’t recommend taking the hop on hop off bus as it’s unnecessary considering you might only need take the bus once or twice in your whole trip. The rest you can walk to.

The city is full of foreigners and doesn’t have that many natives walking around. Most of the people there are tourists just like you or shop owners. If you’re looking for a more Italian city then Rome should definitely be your destination. When planning a trip to Italy one shouldn’t plan to stay more than 2 days in Florence unless you want to visit the sights more than once. Like I mentioned before everything can be seen in a single day with a couple of hours to spare.

Florence Cathedral is the main tourist attraction site. There’s a church that you can enter, walk around, and take some pictures. The best part is the tower. You climb 414 steps to be exact in order to reach the top which then gives you a full view of the city from above. The top of the tower is the city’s highest point and the view from up there is breathtaking. The roofs and buildings below are so well stacked and you can see the shadow of a mountain in the distance.

Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone bridge crossing over a river that is home to several shops mainly jewelries. The view of the river is breathtaking and on the bridge itself you’ll find many people walking around shopping and even street performers who will take what they can get from people passing by. There’s also the Uffizi Gallery and next to it there are some spectacular statues most notably a golden statue of a man riding a giant turtle, or maybe a tiny man riding a regular turtle.

Overall Florence is a beautiful small city that has much to offer. The pizza there is also great as there are many pizza places with excellent rating from TripAdvisor. The weather there in the summer is also great and doesn’t get in the way of the walking around you’ll do. Not to mention that Florence is where Assassin’s Creed 2 is set and you’ll notice the game wasn’t that far off from depicting it.